Gables Residents Angry, Frustrated By Rash Of Car Break-Ins

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A rash of car break-ins in an upscale Coral Gables neighborhood has residents on edge and fed up.

The latest – just after 1 a.m. Monday.

“I came out, the door was ajar, I saw everything in the car, all the papers, they were all over the place. I realized that somebody had been inside my car,” said Matthew Meehan.

When Meehan checked his surveillance camera’s video, he found the thief. He said on the video there was a man who rode up to his car on a bicycle, open the door and then help himself to whatever he found.

Meehan said this is not the first time this has happened. Over the last year, his car has been broken into six times.

“Some of the times they would jimmy the lock, other times they would break the window, so I took the advice from the police department and now leave my car unlocked,” sais Meehan.

Meehan says his frustration is growing because he is not the only target on S. Greenway Drive.

“My neighbor across the street, another friend of mine two blocks down, there are a lot of us that are getting hit on a consistent basis,” said Meehan.

Coral Gables police said they understand the residents’ frustration and want them to know they are working around-the-clock to keep them safe and catch the people responsible.

“We have officers that come through at specific times at night, this is when they’re targeted in the early hours of the morning, and we also want the residents to know that they can call us,” said police spokeswoman Kelly Denham. “Call us if you see a suspicious person, see a suspicious vehicle, that way we can partner and try to attack the problem and try to make the arrests and try to illuminate the theft of motor vehicles.”